GREENSBORO, N.C. (CN) — Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson pulled out ahead of fellow GOP candidates Dale Folwell and Bill Graham in the fight to become the Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina Tuesday evening, while the state's attorney general, Josh Stein won the Democratic primarily by a landslide.
With 2063 of 2659 precincts reporting as of 10 p.m. Eastern Time, Robinson had 65% of the vote in the Republican primary, while Stein had 69% of the vote in the Democratic primary, sending the two candidates to what's predicted to be a close election in November.
North Carolina has attracted attention as a swing state and is expected to see a large influx of campaign funding until November, as Republicans seek to gain total control of the state government and Democrats fight to keep the governor's seat.
Robinson, who is currently serving as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, was launched into politics after making an impassioned speech in favor of gun rights at a city council meeting in 2018. He was elected to his office in 2020 and has positioned himself as a supporter of Christian values, gun rights, and private and charter schools. He opposes the legalization of marijuana and has also said he wants to remove history and science from some elementary school curriculums, and that he'll focus on education if he's elected governor.
He has been criticized in the past for making anti-semitic and anti-LGBTQ comments, including calling the Civil Rights Movement a communist plot. Recently, Robinson said that transgender women should be arrested for using the women’s bathroom. Robinson has also suggested that women shouldn’t hold leadership positions, telling a congregation in 2022 that Christians are “called to be led by men,” not women.
He has also said that he would like for North Carolina to have the strictest abortion laws in the county, a topic which the normally outspoken politician has quietly backed away from as Election Day approached. Stein, meanwhile, supports a woman's right to seek an abortion.
Robinson maintained his wide lead in the polls and the primary despite a recent parody of his campaign meant to dissuade voters.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the lieutenant governor during a campaign rally in Greensboro on March 2, calling Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Robinson has been closely aligning his campaign values with Trump’s since the former president indicated his plan to endorse him in June 2023.
Recent campaign funding reports that Robinson has $4.4 million on hand, and raised over $700,000 in the first quarter of 2024.
“I stand on the shoulders of … all those who came before me, who laid the groundwork to make it possible for me to stand here as the first Black lieutenant governor, as potentially the first Black governor of North Carolina,” Robinson said in a speech to his supporters in Greensboro Tuesday night. “I tell you this, we’re going into the general election. We’re not going to allow those folks to drag this campaign into the mud.”
Josh Stein, the attorney general of North Carolina, had been the favorite to be the Democratic nominee since Governor Roy Cooper endorsed him in August 2023.
“I’m incredibly humbled, honored, and pumped to officially be the Democratic nominee for Governor of North Carolina,” Stein posted on social media Tuesday night. “Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign and believes in our vision for a stronger, safer North Carolina.”
Stein’s closest competitor was Michael “Mike” Morgan, a former state Supreme Court judge who wasn’t able to raise much funding to challenge Stein. As of the most recent fundraising reports, Stein’s campaign had raised $2.2 million in 2024, with $12.7 million on hand, compared to Morgan’s $44,000 on hand and nearly $33,000 raised.
Stein also served in the state Senate in 2008, where he was elected minority whip leader.
Stein’s campaign focuses on public education, creating opportunities for North Carolina agriculture and expanding student loan forgiveness. He also touts work completed as attorney general, saying that he's supported sexual assault survivors by reducing North Carolina’s backlog of rape kits and secured funding for addiction treatment.
Statewide elections in North Carolina are frequently close, as Republican presidential candidates have won the state in all but two elections in the past 50 years by narrow margins. However, Democrats have been dominating gubernatorial races over the last 30 years, and four out of the five most recent governors have been Democrats, including term-limited Cooper.
Republicans currently hold a majority in the state House and Senate, and they are the majority on the state Supreme Court.
One of the nominees will make history in November. If elected, Robinson would be the state’s first Black governor. If Stein wins, he would be the state's first Jewish governor.
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